The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | E. Lockhart |
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| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Teen novel humor fiction |
| Publisher | Disney-Hyperion |
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Publication date
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2008 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 352 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0786838196 |
| OCLC | 182525916 |
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is an exciting book for young adults. It was written by American author E. Lockhart and came out on March 25, 2008. The story is about a girl named Frankie Landau-Banks during her second year at a boarding school. It explores big ideas like fairness for everyone, social groups, and what it means to be a true friend. This book even won a special award, the Michael L. Printz Honor Award, in 2009!
What's the Story About?
The book follows the adventures of Frances 'Frankie' Landau-Banks. She is a fifteen-year-old student at a fancy school called Alabaster Preparatory Academy in Massachusetts. During the summer before her second year, Frankie grows up a lot. When she returns to school, a senior boy named Matthew Livingston notices her. They start dating.
Frankie soon finds out that Matthew is part of a secret society. It's called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. This group is known for playing fun, harmless pranks around campus. Frankie's own father was a member when he was in school. Matthew's best friends, Alpha and Dean, are also part of the Hounds.
At the same time, Frankie takes a class about cities. She learns about how secret societies work and why they exist. Frankie starts to wish she had the same strong bond that Matthew shares with his fellow Hounds. She also feels annoyed by Alpha, who seems to compete with her for Matthew's attention.
One day, Alpha goes home for a few days. Frankie decides to create a fake email address for him. She uses it to send instructions to the Order of the Basset Hounds. She directs them to play a series of pranks. However, the last prank goes too far. It involves stealing and then returning a guppy statue. Alpha is blamed for leading this big prank.
Frankie eventually tells Matthew what she did. He immediately breaks up with her and tells the headmaster. Frankie is put on academic probation, meaning she's in trouble at school. Alpha also gets in trouble. Some students avoid Frankie, but others think she's amazing for what she did.
Meet the Characters
- Frankie Landau-Banks – Frankie is the main character of the book. She is a sophomore girl who is growing up fast, both physically and mentally. She really wants to be independent. Frankie doesn't want anyone else, not even her boyfriend Matthew, to tell her who she is. She learns to take charge when she feels left out of the Basset Hounds. Her plan to fix this causes a lot of trouble and funny moments.
- Matthew Livingston – Matthew is a confident, rich, and popular older boy. He starts as Frankie's crush and becomes her boyfriend. At first, he seems like the perfect prince. He is a leader in the all-male secret society, the Basset Hounds. He represents the world Frankie is kept out of. He is happy to keep her out of his group.
- Alpha – As his name suggests, Alpha sees himself as the top dog at school. Many others agree because he is confident and a good leader. Throughout the book, he and Frankie often clash. They both want Matthew's attention. When Alpha feels threatened by Frankie, he tries to make her feel small. He does this because she is a girl trying to fit into an all-boys group.
- Zada Landau-Banks – Zada is Frankie's older sister. She often gives Frankie advice. Whenever Frankie has a problem, she calls Zada. Zada helps calm her down. She also shares some of her ideas about fairness for women with Frankie.
- Porter Welsch – Porter is Frankie's ex-boyfriend. He is also a member of The Loyal Order of The Basset Hounds. Porter often seems to get in Frankie's way just to annoy her. But it turns out that Frankie and Porter have something in common. They both dislike how much their school expects everyone to be the same.
